The present invention generally relates to a plug for the bearing of an autohoist arm against a motor vehicle body and more particularly to a plug which is easy to produce yet reliable in operation.
German Pat. specification No. 3,532,375 discloses a plug for the bearing of an autohoist arm against a motor vehicle body having a cap-shaped spacer part which is located in front of a rubber sealing part and which is completely surrounded by elastic material on the inside and outside.
To obtain a permanent intimate connection between the spacer part and sealing part under the loads exerted on the material, stringent demands must be made on the material properties of the parts and the form of the spacer part is relatively complicated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a plug for the bearing of an autohoist arm against a motor vehicle body which is easy to produce and can be firmly secured in a receiving orifice of the vehicle body safely against removal by pulling forces.
These and other objects are achieved by utilizing a retention peg which is elastically deformable for insertion into a receiving part of the plug and is lockable, by a locking pin, against removal once the retention plug is in place to hold the plug in the receiving orifice.
The plug comprises various individual parts, by which a mechanical connection can be made between a spacer piece and the receiving part, and by which the plug can be secured firmly in the receiving orifice of the vehicle body. These individual parts can be produced easily because of their simple design and can be varied independently of one another in terms of their material properties, so that the most inexpensive material can be chosen in accordance with the load exerted on each individual part.
Nose-shaped forms provided at both ends on the retention peg ensure especially high safety against the plug being torn out from the vehicle-body receiving orifice. However, the retention peg must be elastically deformable to allow it to pass through the passage bore in the region located on the inside after assembly. Thus, in according to one embodiment of the present invention this feature is provided by tapered material cutouts which are made axially in the casing of the retention peg to form legs which can be pressed together in the passage bore.
According to certain advantageous embodiments of the present invention, particular attention is given to the design of the outer endpiece of the locking pin. It forms a plane transition to the surface of the spacer piece, as a result of which a good bearing of an autohoist arm can be achieved. Furthermore, it fills the bore orifice of the retention peg, so that no dirt penetrates through the plug and the receiving orifice in the body. Also formed in the outer endpiece of the locking pin is an undercut, by which the locking pin can be pulled out of the retention-peg bore, in order to remove the plug when required.
According to further advantageous embodiments of the present invention, the outer endpiece of the locking pin can also be designed in such a way that, after it has been assembled, it rests against the end face of the retention peg, and consequently it cannot be pressed too far into the retention-peg bore.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, an advantageous production method involves constructing the locking pin so that it is connected integrally to the retention peg and can therefore be transported with retention peg prior to installation. Only during the installation of the plug is the locking pin separated from the retention peg in the region of connection to permit pressing the locking pin into the retention-peg bar to effect a locking of the retention peg in place.
One particular advantageous feature of the present invention is that for the installation of the plug, it is beneficial, during preassembly to secure the retention peg temporarily, by its nose-shaped form located on the inside in the installed state, in a notch bevelled off from the passage bore of the receiving and spacer pieces. As a result it becomes possible to make the notch in a favorable way if it is located in the region of transition of the two individual parts which is accessible during production.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.